Rosie stomped over to Mia, who could only just reach the pedals on Will’s bike.
Mia panicked after three minutes, braking violently, and claiming that she swore she heard the main shaft crack. None of the rest of them knew what a ‘main shaft’ was but it sounded important and Mia convinced them it was serious. So Rosie got shunted back to Alice and they muddled along, with Rosie moaning in Alice’s ear every five seconds that she couldn’t see to steer. Alice thought at first she was just being awkward until they wobbled headlong into a bramble bush.
With lots of pit stops, filled with Rosie complaining about the cycling making her ravenous, it took them longer than they thought to reach the edge of Harry Franklin’s paddocks. They walked the bikes up to the top of the slope where they’d hidden earlier that morning and pushed them roughly into the hedge, keeping them nearby in case they had to make a quick getaway.
What do we do now?” Rosie asked, collapsing dramatically and lying flat out on the grass in the sun.
“We sit and wait until we see a horsebox approaching, then we sneak down and get a photograph as they load Moonlight. Then we phone the police,” Mia announced. “Simple.”
So they sat down on the warm grass behind the hedge and waited.
And waited.
Rosie let out an occasional slight snore as Alice made endless daisy chains and Charlie saw how much grass she could put in Rosie’s hair before she noticed. Suddenly Mia peered over at the yard and squeaked. The others looked up, with Rosie wondering where she was for a second, as Mia pointed silently.
Lying on their fronts, they peeped through the hedge and saw Harry walk out into the yard. Somehow he looked even larger than before, and Alice felt a shiver go down her spine despite thewarm summer sun. Harry had his big grey lurcher loping along by his side. It looked as if Harry was taking Growler out for a walk.
Rosie groaned. “We could be here all night at this rate!”
Charlie stood up, stooping to keep hidden by the hedge. “Look, rather than hanging about up here, which isn’t getting us anywhere, why don’t we sneak down to the yard now while Harry’s out, get a photo of Moonlight, then make a run for it.”
“What, go down there now? Before the handover?” Alice gasped. “But he’ll go mad if he finds us on his yard. You heard what he said about us ever coming back here!”
“He won’t even know we’ve been,” Charlie said. “We’ll be in and out before he has a chance to see us.”
Alice looked seriously doubtful.
“You can always stay here by yourself all night if you’d prefer,” Charlie called back to them as she scrambled over the hedge and darted off down thehill to the yard. Filled with excitement and nerves, Alice jumped up and followed her, snagging her jods on the way over. Alice heard a cry and guessed Rosie had done the same, but she didn’t turn to check. By the time Alice reached the stables her heart was racing. She told herself that it must have been the running.
Charlie motioned for them all to head straight across the main yard and round to the stables at the back. It was a huge risk, heading in the same direction that Harry had disappeared in, but they had no choice. Alice was two steps behind Charlie, and she heard Mia’s voice in her ear hissing at Rosie to stop pulling at her T-shirt or it would lose its shape. Charlie edged slowly round the corner then suddenly stopped dead and whipped back. Alice crashed into her, Mia into Alice, and Rosie collapsed, panting, on all of them, almost knocking them to the floor in a heap. The look on Charlie’s face said all they needed to know: Harry Franklin was on his way back… with Growler!
They turned quickly back into the main yard. Suddenly they saw the office door opposite where they were standing start to open. The skinny stable lad! They’d all totally forgotten about him! Alice, Rosie and Charlie panicked – they were trapped, with Harry
Mia panicked after three minutes, braking violently, and claiming that she swore she heard the main shaft crack. None of the rest of them knew what a ‘main shaft’ was but it sounded important and Mia convinced them it was serious. So Rosie got shunted back to Alice and they muddled along, with Rosie moaning in Alice’s ear every five seconds that she couldn’t see to steer. Alice thought at first she was just being awkward until they wobbled headlong into a bramble bush.
With lots of pit stops, filled with Rosie complaining about the cycling making her ravenous, it took them longer than they thought to reach the edge of Harry Franklin’s paddocks. They walked the bikes up to the top of the slope where they’d hidden earlier that morning and pushed them roughly into the hedge, keeping them nearby in case they had to make a quick getaway.
What do we do now?” Rosie asked, collapsing dramatically and lying flat out on the grass in the sun.
“We sit and wait until we see a horsebox approaching, then we sneak down and get a photograph as they load Moonlight. Then we phone the police,” Mia announced. “Simple.”
So they sat down on the warm grass behind the hedge and waited.
And waited.
Rosie let out an occasional slight snore as Alice made endless daisy chains and Charlie saw how much grass she could put in Rosie’s hair before she noticed. Suddenly Mia peered over at the yard and squeaked. The others looked up, with Rosie wondering where she was for a second, as Mia pointed silently.
Lying on their fronts, they peeped through the hedge and saw Harry walk out into the yard. Somehow he looked even larger than before, and Alice felt a shiver go down her spine despite thewarm summer sun. Harry had his big grey lurcher loping along by his side. It looked as if Harry was taking Growler out for a walk.
Rosie groaned. “We could be here all night at this rate!”
Charlie stood up, stooping to keep hidden by the hedge. “Look, rather than hanging about up here, which isn’t getting us anywhere, why don’t we sneak down to the yard now while Harry’s out, get a photo of Moonlight, then make a run for it.”
“What, go down there now? Before the handover?” Alice gasped. “But he’ll go mad if he finds us on his yard. You heard what he said about us ever coming back here!”
“He won’t even know we’ve been,” Charlie said. “We’ll be in and out before he has a chance to see us.”
Alice looked seriously doubtful.
“You can always stay here by yourself all night if you’d prefer,” Charlie called back to them as she scrambled over the hedge and darted off down thehill to the yard. Filled with excitement and nerves, Alice jumped up and followed her, snagging her jods on the way over. Alice heard a cry and guessed Rosie had done the same, but she didn’t turn to check. By the time Alice reached the stables her heart was racing. She told herself that it must have been the running.
Charlie motioned for them all to head straight across the main yard and round to the stables at the back. It was a huge risk, heading in the same direction that Harry had disappeared in, but they had no choice. Alice was two steps behind Charlie, and she heard Mia’s voice in her ear hissing at Rosie to stop pulling at her T-shirt or it would lose its shape. Charlie edged slowly round the corner then suddenly stopped dead and whipped back. Alice crashed into her, Mia into Alice, and Rosie collapsed, panting, on all of them, almost knocking them to the floor in a heap. The look on Charlie’s face said all they needed to know: Harry Franklin was on his way back… with Growler!
They turned quickly back into the main yard. Suddenly they saw the office door opposite where they were standing start to open. The skinny stable lad! They’d all totally forgotten about him! Alice, Rosie and Charlie panicked – they were trapped, with Harry
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